Love Me Crazy Read Online Free PDF Page A

neck. I bite the inside of my cheek as Ellie slides several vibrant disks away from the main group. Mrs. Covington’s lip quivers. She drops her gaze to the table when Quinn begins to whistle like he has nothing better to do than sort through crystal samples.
    He reaches across the table. His other hand grazes my lower back before gripping the table on my opposite side. Unnecessary. Seriously. I hold my breath as he holds one up. His reach causes his arm to hug around me. My back muscles coil then flinch, the electrical jolt refreshing my senses. The glass samples shudder. Oh my God. What if he gets the wrong idea? I can’t be having these reactions around him. Not ever. I’d promised myself not to feel anything for anyone ever again. I close my eyes. This can’t happen.
    He leans unnecessarily into me, then backs off. “
You
are the one.”
    Me?
    Ellie snatches the piece and I blink it into focus.
    Oh, the disk. My heart shudders in relief. Or is it dismay?
    Ellie’s eyes glaze as they mirror the same cloudy sadness as Quinn’s. “Yes. Dad would’ve loved this shade of indigo.”
    I glance at Ellie, then her brother. I press my fingers against my chest, wanting to settle the panic magnifying the emotional bite his words created. I swore I’d never let a man affect me in this capacity again. Yet this guy just turned an ant’s bite into a hornet’s sting.
    “So tomorrow at eight, Casey, meet me at my office in town and we’ll go over the orders.” Mrs. Covington’s words bring me from my stupor.
    “Um, yeah.”
    Her eyebrows angle into a steeply pitched roof over her wide eyes. “I’m not sure what the protocol was for your former positions, but as my assistant, it would do you well to remember ‘yeah’ is not a word.”
    “O-okay.” Former position as a student? A kid?
    She glares.
    “Yes, ma’am,” I mumble, feeling emotionally drained. When will this day end?
    “Good day, Casey.”
    “My name’s Cassidy, not Casey.”
    She studies me as she reaches an arm into the rain coat Quinn holds up. “I’m sure, if you want this job bad enough, you’ll answer to either.”
    “I suppose you’re right, Mrs. Carlson.”
    She freezes, coat collar turned up, bottom flapping around her shins. She tries to hide her surprise, and after a quick glance at Quinn, adds, “That will be all, Cassidy.”
    Quinn offers a wink over his shoulder as he and Ellie walk their mom out. I collapse into a chair and rap my forehead against the table.
    I’m doomed. My boss came from the looney bin and the hottest guy I’ve seen in months—no, years—is a freaking Covington. Worse, he reminds me of Preston, which makes my heart split because half wants to be loved again, but the other half knows for certain love is nothing but a candy-art sculpture—sweet, beautiful, and breakable. Trusting anyone with something so fragile is a mistake I can’t make again.
    I spin the selected blue glass like a coin. I examine the extraordinary blue until it collapses flat against the table. The perfect match to Quinn’s eyes. I frown. He flirts like a pro. His stares, his touch . . . his innuendos. All dead giveaways to the type of guy he is—the fuck-him-and-forget-him type who forgoes the precursory buildup to sex and nixes the morning-after cuddles.
    An hour ago I called him an asshole—and hoped to God I was right—but the warmth he shows with his sister insists he’s more than a player with a charming face, sexy as hell tats and one mega-rocking body.
    Players don’t evoke emotions. Not from me. So he’s either a damn good player or a damn good faker. And I’m betting on the latter, which sucks, because if he can pull the feels out of me without trying, it means my tungsten carbide shell is deteriorating. And worse, it means he might not be an asshole.
    My phone rings and I hurry across the room to the couch where I’d dropped my purse. “Lilian?” I answer.
    “ Cass? Thank God.” Her whispers grow louder. “Why